Firearm.



J. SIKES.

l AHR'EARBLI. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 16, 1912.

1,089,086. -v Patented Mar.3,1914.

Y l /7 ilii all/lf; W v u j ruarked thereon, which tewee- UNTTED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

.IuLrUs sums, on enfonce, ILLINOIS.

FmEAm/r.

To all fathom 'it may concern:

l-Beit lknown that I, JULrUs Sirens, a citii and a resident of Cook and State certain new and d I the 'following is a description thereof, reference 'being had to the accompanying letters of reference form a part of this z enof the United States, @hice o, in the lcounty of tllois'have invented useful'lmprovements in Flrearms'; van ,d6 @by 'CS that' full, clear, and 'exact drawings, and to the specification.

` This invention relates to that class of tireforced into and through an Vembankment o1' earthworks so as to form arms adapted to be of the 'barrel and sights so arranged with low tube .as to be sighting through nlugs o tube .and barrel, blt' the beffel rced llthworks in such tunnel or aperture enable the -firearm from falling in upon ng a@ Sights,

specieation of Letters ratent.

Applicationnlen August 16, 19m. Ser'iaINo. 715,361.

of the invention is having a barrel and a to Abev removably lnQLl'I-lted upon and to extend longitudinally having front and rear` respect to the holin alinement with the opening through the tube and visible to one the tube `and removable r' closing the forward end of the all so constructed as to enaand tube to vbe repeatedly into or through an embankment or a manner asto form a in the earth adapted to to be aimed or sighted and discharged while in the tunnelor opening thus formed and to prevent the earth the barrel and obscurwhereby the person using the Patented Mar. 3,

'the vaperture formed by the tube, with parts of the' tube and' barrel broken 'away to show the arrange-ment of the forward sight'and the connected removable plugs; Figpfof, 'a detail view in vertical section of the mu'z'- zle of a firearm constructed in accordance with my imprdvements' and provided .with a hollow tube and a 4forward Vsight"extending into the latter, and separate removab e plugs for the front end of the barreland tube, respectively; Fig. 4, a. view in side elevation of a firearm constructed in accordance vwith my improvements and showing the same extending through an embankment or earthworks in position to be aimed and discharged while in the aperture or firearm through the embankment; Fig. 5, a det-ail view of a lramrod for removing the plugs from the tube or 'tube and barrel; Fig. a view in side elevation of a firearm provided with a hollow tube formed of a plurality of telescoping sections removably secured to the top of the barrel and having front and rear sights in position tov be visible through and in alinement with the center of the tube; and Fig. 7, a detail view in longitudinal section of t-he tube shown in Fig. 6, with a portion'broken away.

In constructing a firearm in accordance with my invention and provided "with'niy improvements, I provide a gun which may be in the form of an ordinary rifle or can- .non, and which, in the form shown in the drawings` comprises a stock A, a lock B, a barrel 10, a front sight 15, and a rear sight 19.

A hollow metal tube 11 is provided havfirearm is enabled tov be shielded and proing au aperture 14 in its bottom side at or teetedby the barrel and tube are thus inserted.

' Other and tion will appear fromlowing description claims.

The inventlon conslsts 1n herein described and; claimed.

is va view in side and the embankment through which further vobjects of the invenan examination of the accompanying drawings and from the fol- A the features., combinations, and details of construction near the front end of the tube, adapted to admit.. the front sight 15 which extends, preferably, through the bot-tom wall of the tube, -and into the interior of the tube or of the longitudinal aperture formed by the tube, in position to be visible to one sighting through the tube or taking aim. This tube is removably secured to the top of the barrel by means of metallic bands 12, or by any desired similar, ordinary or well known vmeans for removably securing the same firmly in position upon the barrel.

Plugs 16 and 17 which may be connected by an outer connecting body portion 18, as shown in Fig. :2, are provided. These plugs are adapted to close the muzzle or forward 1 end of the barrel and the forward end of tunnel formed by forcing the muzzle of the y 1GOl `the center of the barrel.

the tube and to remain in position during lthe operation of forcing the barrel and. tube through an embankment. or earthworks preiaratory to sighting and discharging the weapon while in the aperture or tunnel thus formed by means of the weapon to be fired.

The hollow tube is in the same vertical plane with the front. and rear Asights and,-

of course, in the saine vertical plane with The front sight is, preferably, inclosed within the tube vand entirely covered thereby, while the rear sight 'may be on the outside of the rear end of the tube but adjacent to the latter; and b oth sights are in suchposition that they are in alinement with the axial center of the tube and of the aperture formed by the tube. and both sights extend above the level of the bottoni of said aperture, and are both visible or in the linerof vision 'of one sighting through the tube? i It is very desirable to provide a tube which is rigid transversely but adapted to be collapsed longitudinally into as compact a form as possible and to be extended and secured upon the barrel of a firearm with facility. In order to accomplish this the tube may be made in the form of a plurality of telescoping sections 21, as shoivnin Figs. 6 and 7, the section at the forward end or muzzle of the gun being provided with an opening 14 for admitting the front sight, as

already suggested, and the tube tapered and so arranged that its relatively small end is in the direction of the muzzle of the firearm and its relatively large end in the direction of the breech or stock and adjacent to the rear sight, the front and: rear sights being each so constructed and arranged as to eX- tend above the level of the bottom of the tube and in the same vertical plane as the axial center of the tube and in the line of vision of one sighting through the latter, as already suggested. The telescoping tube thus provided is adapted to be secured to the firearm by means of metallic bands 12, as already described in connection with the form of the tube shown in Fig. 1.

The plugs for closing the forward ends of the tube and barrel, respectively, may be separate, as shown in Fig. 3, in which the plug 17 serves to close the muzzle of thefirearm and is adapted to be removed by the discharge of the latter, and the plug 26 serves to close the forward end-of the tube and is adapted to be removed by means of` the ramrod 20, shown in Fig. 5, and which may be provided with an enlarged end portion 27, as shown in said figure.

A firearm provided with a barrel, tube and sights, constructed and arranged as above described, is adapted to be forced through' an embankment or earthvvorks in such a manner as to form an aperture or tunnel through such embanlnnent, and to form a such aperarm to be inserted at a proper distancebe- 4 low the level of the top ofthe embankment and at any desired point and to be repeatedly removed and inserted in different positions in such a manner as to enable the firearm to be' sighted and fired while in the opening thus formed by forcing the muzzle or barrel and tube through the embankment, the user is enabled to insert, aim and discharge the Weapon repeatedly from different positions and to be entirely protected by the embankment While so employing the Weapon.

The tube is adapted to be removed with facility and to be collapsed into as compact a form as possible so as to be readily carried from place to place as required, and so as to be readily. available when required for the uses and purposes above set forth, and the aperture in the embankment formed by thus forcing the firearm therethrough is practically entirely closed by the weapon, and yet the earth may be sufficiently loose to enable the firearm to be moved or `adjusted so as to point in the desired direction and to enable the sights to be visible and a proper aim obtained with the gun in any desired adjusted position and the .user in position to be entirely shielded by the earthworks or embankment.

I claiml. A firearm comprising in its construction a barrel, a tube mounted on and extend-I ing longitudinally of 'the barrel and normally open at both ends, a front sight extending inside of the tube, a rear sight ad- Jacent to the rear end of the tube, the tops of both sights being above the level of the bottom of and in alinement with the hollow portion of the tube, and a plug adapted to be removably mounted inthe front end of the tube, the tube, sights and plug being so constructed and arranged as to enable the barrel and tube to be forced through an embankment of earth and the plug removed by means of a rod inserted from the rear of and through said tube, and the firearm sighted and discharged while extending through the embankment. f

2. A firearm comprising in its construction a barrel, front and rear sights therefor, a hollovsr tube adapted to be removably attached to the barrel of the firearm with its open rear end adjacent to the rear sight, said tube having an aperture in the bottom of and adjacent lto the front end thereof adapted to admit the top of the front sight 'to the interior of said tube, a plug adapted to be removably mounted in the front end of the barrel, and a plug adapted to be removably mounted within the front end of the tube and adapted to prevent the same from being clogged when the ri'le is forced through an embankment of earth or similar substance and means for removing the plug in said tube. A

3. A firearm comprising in its construction a barrel, front and rear sights therefor, and a hollow tube extendin over the front sight and comprising av p urality of telescoping sections removably attached to the barrel in position to extend longitudinally of the barrel between the front and rear sights, and provided with a normally unob-l structed longitudinal opening having its axial center in the same vertical plane in which the sights are located, the tops of the sights'being above the level of the bottom of said longitudinal opening and a plug adapted to be removably mounted in the front end of said tube.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my'invention I alix my signature in the presence of two witnesses, this 12th day of August A. D. 1912.

JULIUS 'SIKES Witnesses GEORG@ STACK, MICHAEL BUKoWsKI. 

